


Chains of Infinity

by Mikkeneko



Series: Cold Iron [2]
Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Gen, Infinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-11
Updated: 2010-10-11
Packaged: 2017-10-12 14:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/125822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkeneko/pseuds/Mikkeneko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Infinity, things went from bad to worse. It took Kurogane a while to realize what was hurting Fai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chains of Infinity

The Master of the Games wasn't the only one to notice; Kurogane knew Fai's moves better than anyone in any world by now (save one.) He kept an eye over all of them the best he could, in the ring; the bulk of the team's offensive strategy usually fell on him, and didn't give him much time to stand around watching his teammates. But he couldn't fail to notice that Fai's movements were stiff, jerky, slower than normal.

It took him a while to make the connection; other things were taking up his attention. The princess. Mokona, who was growing more despondent every day it was trapped in their rooms and wouldn't it just be the icing on the cake if it somehow lost its ability to do magic because of that? The boy with Syaoran's face, who was familiar and alien at the same time and whom Kurogane wasn't completely sure he could trust. He thought so, but hell, what did he know? He'd thought he could trust Syaoran, too.

Even when it came to Fai, there were other things that were always in the way, distracting him. The vampire thing was always there now, of course. He'd thought perhaps Fai was still feeling pain from the transformation that had so racked him with agony. The anger, the resentment, the hurt. The betrayal. There were so many things wrong with Fai now that Kurogane thought he could be forgiven for letting this one slip his mind.

After one of the matches Kurogane and Syaoran sat getting their breath back in the room behind the throne, cooling down. Fai was already gone; he'd shed the collar and chains of the game as soon as they'd left the board, and when Kurogane thought about it, he realized Fai always had.

That's when it hit him, and he shoved himself to his feet, the stone he'd been using to hone his sword falling to the floor with a clatter. The boy looked at him with wide eyes, hesitating, unsure of whether to ask. "That _idiot,"_ was all Kurogane said by way of explanation, shoved his sword back in its sheath, and walked out.

He caught up with Fai in the hallway near their rooms; dingy and dimly lit, no one would have reason to come back here except those staying in the complex for the matches. Fai turned his head, then turned around to see who was coming up on his blind side; he relaxed from his defensive crouch when he recognized Kurogane, but the wariness was still there. It always was, these days. "Kurogane-san," he greeted him, with a shallow inclination of his head. "Did you want something?"

"Why haven't you told the princess?" Kurogane demanded, stepping forward, keeping his voice pitched low.

Fai's single eye widened, but he gained control again quickly. "Told her what?" he asked innocently. "Isn't it you who have something to say?"

"Don't be cute with me," Kurogane growled, and stepped forward again, pinning Fai back against the wall. He was still wearing the metal cuffs that the chain attached to on his wrist; he raised one arm, and saw Fai flinch slightly away. "These are made of iron. Iron _burns_ you."

"What are you talking about, Kurogane?" Fai asked with a wide, unfelt smile. He spread his arms wide and tilted his head back, showing pale, unmarked skin where the collar and chains usually rested. "See? Not a burn mark in sight."

"I said don't be cute!" Kurogane repeated. "You're part vampire now -- the vampire blood is healing you. That was the whole _point_ of this, or don't you remember?"

He was shouting by the end of that, the need to keep this quiet forgotten. The smile faded from Fai's face, and he stared at Kurogane, his eye cold and hard. "Maybe," he said finally. "But frankly, I don't see what business of yours it is either way."

"It's my business to know when my partners and teammates are hurt," Kurogane growled. "And even more so when they're lying to me."

That was a cruel and unfair thing to say, and he knew it, but he still preferred the angry flash of Fai's eye and the dangerous set of his mouth to the cold blankness that came before. "Well, what would you have me do about it?" Fai shot back. "It's all part of the game. We can't exactly go to the game masters and ask them to change the rules just because one of the chess pieces has a... skin allergy. Do you want to win? So do I. So there's nothing to be done."

"Do you think the princess wants to see you hurt this way?" Kurogane asked, switching from one unfair tactic to the next. "She'd never force you into this if she knew what it was doing to you."

"No," Fai said. "No, she wouldn't. Do you plan to tell her, Kurogane-san? Do you think she needs to be weighed down with more guilt, more distractions right now? How do you think that will affect our chances of winning the game?"

Kurogane's frown deepened thunderously, but he knew the vampire was right. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it. "Isn't there anything you can do?" he said, changing the subject. "Wear padding between it and your skin, or something?"

Fai laughed, the sound startled and painful. "It doesn't quite work that way, Kurogane-san."

Kurogane didn't see why the hell not, but he wasn't a mage and Fai was, so he didn't argue. Fai sighed, rubbing the side of his face with one hand, the anger running out of his face and making him look only tired and a little ill. "Look, it's not really that bad. My magic... my magic is only half the strength it used to be, so the reaction is only half as strong, too. And it heals back to normal after only a few seconds, so it's not like..."

Kurogane grabbed Fai's arm and pulled him back, pushing him flat against the wall. "I didn't strike a bargain for vampire blood just so that you could keep being hurt over and over again!"

Fai made an effort to pull his arm free; when Kurogane hung on, he suddenly shoved with a strength that was wholly unhuman. The force of it sent Kurogane stumbling back to impact against the wall, and the two of them stared at each other, for a long and silent moment, in the dim hallway.

Finally Fai spoke. "If you wanted to spare me pain, then you made the wrong choice in Tokyo," he said, voice shaking slightly. He turned and went into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

  



End file.
